Improving the Indoor Outdoor Flow

It’s only natural to think of your home and garden as two separate entities with a boundary in between. But linking indoor and outdoor spaces – even if it’s only a small garden or rooftop terrace – can help an interior living space feel larger. When the exterior connects to the house, your eye sees further and rooms appear larger.
Refresh Renovations can help you get it right, so your days can be spent with the doors open, enjoying lots of light and fresh air. Whatever your budget, pulling off this clever trick doesn’t have to mean a huge spend.
If you have a modest budget, decorative choices can successfully blur the boundary between indoor and outdoor spaces. With a bigger budget swap to glazing that improves the feeling of space and makes garden access far better. Whether it’s designing a new extension or remodelling your living space, we’ve got 9 clever ways to link indoor and outdoor living.

Introduce glazing

Adding glazing to the back of your house will make both garden and sky views part of the room. You may be able to add rooflights to an existing living space or they can be designed into an extension. More costly is a glass roof, and if you’re really looking to introduce wow factor, glass beams can reduce the indoor-outdoor barrier even further. 

Continuous flooring

A floor type that extends from inside the house out will draw the eye outside thanks to its continuous finish. Something to consider is that tiles used outside must be suitable for use in all weathers. They need to be frost-proof and have extra slip-resistance so they’re not a hazard when wet. 

Extending the roof

The longing for indoor outdoor living is often inspired by hotter climes, but as the weather is unpredictable you are likely to close the doors to stop the interior getting wet when it rains. Consider extending the roof to cover more of the patio for shelter - just ensure the overhang doesn’t make it too dark inside.

Remove the wall

For maximum connection to outside space, swap a solid wall for one you can see through using contemporary glazed doors. Bi-fold doors with narrow framing are a popular choice for creating a seamless indoor outdoor link, with many styles, colours and sizes available. If the aim is to add more natural light, sliding doors are worth considering. With fewer mullions, they let in more sunlight, and, as they can only be opened half the width of bi-folds, they offer a good compromise if you just want half of the back of the house opened up to the garden. French doors work well on period properties, and they let in twice as much light as a window.

Choosing your remodel materials carefully

Incorporating finishes outside that are usually regarded as choices for indoors, and vice versa, effectively blurs boundaries between the two areas. An exposed brick wall or brick slips in a kitchen-diner, for example, can link it to the exterior of the house. Alternatively, paint garden walls and fences in shades often used inside – just make sure it’s an exterior paint or stain suitable for your surface. You can also put wall tiles on planter boxes outside.

Clever home design ideas

Extending your home? Consider the addition and the garden as one space, design accordingly, and they’ll inevitably feel more connected. 

Outdoor lighting

Don’t let your garden disappear once the sun goes down. A good lighting scheme will help you appreciate the space until you go to bed.

Patio living

Take the living room into the garden to make your home feel bigger all summer. Furnishing the exterior space as you would the indoors makes it feel like a continuation: think a big beautiful table and chairs.

Pergolas and garden structures

A pergola or other structure built on to the house is a simple way to give the impression of an outdoor room that extends your house. The vertical element will help define the space in a way a terrace or deck alone can’t achieve, and it can introduce welcome shade that’s either created by the design of the structure itself or by the addition of plants growing up it. The structure makes it easy to add lighting, and you could drape fabric from it for shade and style.

Get in touch

Ready to improve your homes indoor outdoor flow? Get in touch today to arrange a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our Refresh Renovations specialists.